Welcome to your comprehensive guide to mastering Waystones in Path of Exile 2 (POE2). Here we'll dissect strategies from a variety of sources to give you an edge in enhancing your maps, maintaining Waystones, and conquering the endgame with unparalleled efficiency.
Waystones are your passport to the Atlas of Worlds, POE2's endgame content. They come in 16 tiers, each with increasing area levels and challenges:
Here's how to navigate the system:
Sustaining Lower Tiers
Dorani's Shop: Dorani provides an unlimited supply of Tier 1 Waystones and some Tier 2 and 3. This is your early game lifeline, so use it to build momentum.
Basic Farming: At first, drops are plentiful. Focus on clearing maps fully, as even regular monsters can drop these lower-tier stones.
Progressing Through Higher Tiers
Modify your waystones:
Prefixes: Increase loot, such as extra rare monsters or item quantity, which indirectly increases waystone drops.
Suffixes: Make the map harder, but increase Waystone drop rates. Learn to balance risk and reward.
Boss Focus: Bosses are your best bet for high-tier drops. Maps with multiple bosses or boss mechanics should be prioritized.
Mechanic Manipulation:
Use lower-tier waystones on maps with beneficial mechanics (like Breach) to farm for higher-tier stones.
Tablets can add mechanics or increase map levels, effectively farming higher-tier waystones in lower-tier maps.
Atlas Passives for Waystone Sustainability
Your Atlas Passive is critical to the long-term sustainability of Waystone:
Constant Crossroads: A 20% increase in Waystone quantity is essential for early and mid-game sustainability.
The High Road: Provides a 20% chance for Waystones to drop one level higher, easing the transition to higher levels.
Deadly Evolution: Adds modifiers to rare monsters, making them more difficult but also more rewarding in terms of drops.
Corrupted Infusion: After corrupting a Waystone, you may receive increased rewards or even a level increase, but at a risk.
Enhancing your maps